Simple Pleasures

We returned home on Tuesday. Crossing the Platte and Hudson Rivers in the same day means it has been a very good day. This trip we visited my daughter and husband and their four Connecticut kids. We had a great visit filled with the joys of their everyday life. We read to all of them and fed the turtles in a pond across the street. Kate, Jonah, Norah and I visited a sweet garden behind a library where a story was posted in stations. I read the story to Jonah. Pops and Patrick played catch with the big boys. They are baseball guys for sure.

Seeing the beach (and anything else)  through the eyes of children is such a gift. An eight year old makes a game of throwing rocks into a bucket pushed down into the sand. Then leaves the rocks to jump over waves rolling up on the shore. The five year old builds a rock tower with a force field on the beach. The three year old pushes a dump truck through the sand carrying his own water bottle. When he digs in the sand with a long handled shovel, he puts his foot on top of the blade imitating his Dad. The nine month old wrinkles up her nose when her feet make contact with sand but can be distracted with bits of goldfish crackers. Cracker crumbs in her tutu don't bother her.

As you might imagine, I didn't read blogs or knit many stitches (except in transit) on this trip. Kate, Jonah, and I did visit Westport Yarns, a cozy yarn shop not far from their home. Jonah wore his Iron Man cape and carried the Iron Man action figure. Kate kept him entertained by posing the action figure at yoga while I did a wee bit of shopping.

I continue to knit the lace sampler scarf. The sampler idea keeps scarf-knitting-boredom at bay. I put more detailed notes on Ravelry as several readers asked me about the pattern. I choose motifs with repeats of either six or twelve stitches plus one. The edges and separating lines between motifs are garter stitch. I may try a ten stitch plus one repeat and increase each side edge by one garter stitch. Or I may not. 

Although I am a day late, I am linking to Kat and the Unravelers. On this Fourth of July, I am proud to live in this imperfect country with high ideals. While I recognize my good fortune due to circumstances of birth, education, health, and work, I think about families who struggle to take care of their children, those for whom freedom from want and fear is only a dream. How can we take the celebration of this day and work with a generous spirit to make it possible for all?

Happy Fourth of July to you and yours. Enjoy and be safe.